Deep Dish Plum Pie

I had a chance to make the deep dish plum pie, finally. I was a bit nervous because it was for Mark's family. Not only had I never made a fruit pie, other than lemon meringue, but had never tried the lattice top that I was planning on attempting.

I bought some deep dark plums, and couldn't wait to see how red my pie turned out because of them. But, the first cut into the plums and I knew they wouldn't work. Most of them were either mushy, or had what looked like a worm canal all the way through that was hard and dry.

The rest of them had a hard, white spot in the center, so I just threw them all out....had Mark stop and get some more on the way home and hoped for the best.

I cut into one of the new plums, and they were white all the way through, and a bit on the hard side. I nearly puked. In just a few hours Mark's family was coming to dinner and the one thing I was looking forward to the most was turning out to be a disaster before it even started.

Not one to give up easily, I called Williams Sonoma and explained my problem. They said the pie may not turn out as red, but should taste good anyway. So, I plugged away and sliced up all these white plums, tossed them in sugar and cinnamon, and placed them gently in my freshly rolled pie crust.

I should say that the pie crust was almost a disaster too. I was doubling the recipe, and remembered to double everything except the butter and water. Kind of important parts. I didn't realize it until after I had cut in the butter and started adding more and more water to get it to pull together.

Then, after I realized that I had forgotten the double butter, I had to cut more of that in, and then try to remember how much water I had already added. Since I'm not an expert baker, and since I had heard pie crusts are a bit temperamental, I feared for the worst. It all pulled together fine, and I just decided that it was going to be okay even if the crust was a bit tough. I rolled it out and then cut my strips for the lattice top and criss crossed like a pro. It was very fun actually, and turned out okay for a novice, I think.

Despite the white insides, the pie filling turned out a beautiful bright red. I was very happy to see that, since that was almost the best part of this pie. Besides the sweet tart flavor that took you by surprise, it was that you could get such a beautiful red pie from purple plums that really made the biggest impact.

Everyone loved this pie, and the crust was ridiculously flaky despite my best intentions! I'd say this is definitely going to be a staple around here from now on. It was quite simple, but looked and tasted very impressive. I wish plums were available, in season I should say, all year.

The Recipes

Basic Pie Dough

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

8 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 inch cubes

3 T very cold water

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles course corn meal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk (no need to refrigerate). Lightly flour the surface then flatten the disk with 6-8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Makes enough for one 9-inch single crust pie or one 10 inch galette.

Deep Dish Plum Pie

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 1/2 pounds plums, pitted and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 5 cups)

1 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 rolled out pie crust, doubled

Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Place the plums in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sugar mixture and toss to distribute evenly. Immediately transfer to a deep dish pie plate that has been lined with pie dough. Dot the plum mixture with butter.

Carefully position the dough, however you want it, over the plums. Trim the edge neatly, leaving 1 inch of overhang, then place over the fruit, folding the overhang under and pressing against the sides of the dish to seal. Refrigerate the pie until the dough is firm, 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperate to 350 and continue baking until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling about 50-60 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature or rewarm in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes just before serving.

Enjoy!

Individual Lemon Meringue Pies

You all saw this coming....

Of course I had to make my Lemon Meringue Pie this weekend. How could I not after all that pie discussion at my class the other night. Instead of making one big pie, however, I decided to make 4 individual ones using my mini cheesecake spring form pans.

I started with my basic pie crust recipe and pressed the dough up the sides of the pans, baked them until golden, and then once they cooled, I removed the cheesecake pan. I highly recommend removing it at this step, because once the meringue is baked on and you remove the pans, it is disastrous. Take my word for it.

Since the chef at Williams Sonoma recommended I use a double boiler for the custard, I started out using one, but quickly realized that my recipe really needed to boil, and I wasn't able to achieve that with the double boiler. Kind of ironic. So, after stirring the ingredients for a few minutes, I made a last minute decision to transfer everything to another heavy pot. I boiled this mixture as usual, added my eggs, stirred for 4 more minutes, then finally turned off the heat and added butter and lemon juice. This time, for some reason, my custard didn't stick to the bottom of the pan. I am not sure if it's because I started the process in the double boiler, or if it's because I have new pans and they worked better than the ones I've used before. But either way, my custard turned out way better this time than any time before. No lumps. Smooth as silk.

This time, I added half fresh squeezed lemon juice and half bottled lemon because I chickened out. On my recipe I have in bold, underlined words. "REAL LEMON!!" And, by real lemon I did not mean actual real lemons from the tree, I meant the fake bottled kind called Real Lemon. So, I was a bit scared to do 100% fresh juice, even though I knew better.

It turned out great, but next time I will without a doubt use a full amount of the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

My meringue always turns out, in fact I'm not quite sure why people are so afraid of it. I like my meringue high, and I love the little toasted brown tips the best.

I love watching how the egg whites start as nothing, and just because you whip some air into them, they start to take form. With the addition of some sugar and cream of tartar, Viola! you've got meringue beautiness. Yes that's a word.

And, the final product tasted as great as it looked.

The only unfortunate part is that no one in my family, except my dad of course, likes Lemon Meringue Pie, which means I end up eating a lot of it, or in this case, giving it away to anyone who will take it.

In this mini form, it is much easier to share anyway.

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

mix the above well, and then add

1/2 cup oil

2 T. milk

Form into a ball and press into pie pan. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes, or until edges are just turning brown. Be sure to press sides of dough up the edge of pie pan.

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 1/2 T. cornstarch

3 T. flour

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 cup hot water

3 slightly beaten egg yolks, save the 3 remaining egg whites for the meringue

2 T butter, cut into squares

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in the water. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to temper. Return this to remaining hot mixture. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add butter. Gradually add the lemon juice. Cover entire mixture with plastic wrap, being sure to press the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour into cooled pie shell, and allow to come to room temperature.

Meringue

Beat the remaining 3 egg whites with 1 t. lemon juice until soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 T sugar and 1/4 t. cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue over pie, being sure to seal the edges to the pastry. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.

Gluten Free Girl

I've been reading a book called "Gluten Free Girl" by Shauna James Ahern, and it is like food porn. I am not joking.

If you like food as much as I do, then reading this book is highly recommended. Even if you aren't trying to go gluten free...and maybe especially if you're not trying to be gluten free. She goes into such wonderful descriptions of everything from her surroundings to the food to the people she's enjoying it with, that you actually feel like you're with her.

At one point I was dipping my toes in a lake in Seattle and peach juice was dripping from my chin. It's all I could do not to run right out and get me a bag of peaches...but I knew for certain, that they would not taste like the one she was eating. Hers came straight from a local tree in the peak of season. Mine would have been straight from some storage bin that traveled long distances to get here. Ahhh...glad that I have my imagination.

Her descriptions of vegetables and the recipes that she created out of her sheer need for something good that didn't contain gluten, sounded slightly strange, but even more compelling.

The first two I wanted to try were Shaved Fennel with Lemon Juice, and a Cauilflower dish containing some very interesting seasonings. I bought the fennel and the cauliflower, but decided on the cauliflower dish for last night's fish meal.

At first this sounded very exotic with huge potential for failure, and even more potential to taste bad, but what the heck, I'm a bit crazy.

If you enjoy rich, tasty food without all the fat and calories, then please, please try this despite your initial reaction. You will amaze yourself...and quite possibly your family too.

Photo from Gluten Free Girl Blog

Roasted Cauliflower with Smoked Paprika and Cocoa Powder

2 T Kosher salt

juice of 1 lemon

1 head cauliflower

3 T high quality olive oil

1/2 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 t. smoked paprika (do NOT use regular paprika...trust me on this. All stores carry the smoked version, and it has a smell similar to barbecue chips, delish!)

1 t. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. sea salt

1 t. cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Blanching the cauliflower. Bring a pot of 2 quarts of water plus the kosher salt and the juice of half the lemon to boil. Cut the florets off the stalk of the cauliflower. Put the cauliflower in the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and pour the cauliflower into a bowl full of ice water. Let it rest there for 3 minutes or until it is chilled. Remove the cauliflower and pat dry.

Cooking the cauliflower. Bring a skillet to heat on high, then add the olive oil. When the oil runs easily around the pan, add the thinly sliced onion. Cook and stir until translucent and soft, 2 - 3 minutes. Add the smoked paprika. Add the cauliflower to this mixture and coat them well. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is coated and the fragrance of the paprika is strong. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Roasting the cauliflower. Add the cocoa powder to the cauliflower. Add the salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower to coat. Transfer this mixture to a roasting pan. Put in the oven and cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Drizzle the remaining lemon juice over the cooked cauliflower.

Feeds 4 Enjoy!

Note: Chocolate and Chili are traditional Mole flavors, similar to mexican hot chocolate which contains chocolate and cinnamon.

I heart Quinoa.

I purchased a cookbook the other day, called Gluten Free, Sugar Free cooking. I rented it from the library first, and made a few dishes to make sure I liked it before buying it.

Two of the first recipes I made involved Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA), which is a type of grain (actually it's a seed, but that discussion is for a different kind of blog.) It is a gluten free grain, and I was anxious to try something new, in addition to the organic basmati brown rice, millet and teff I've been eating.

Quinoa is as high in protein as dairy (almost 11 grams per cup), and is high in calcium, iron, B vitamins, zinc and potassium. It cooks quite a lot like rice, by boiling in water, or my preferred method, a veggie or chicken broth. It's apparently very versatile as you can see by the following recipes I tried.

The first recipe, Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa


We had already eaten most of our meal when I decided to take a picture of these, so the remaining dish looks a bit mangled. These are red bell peppers with a quinoa, ground chicken and pine nut "stuffing". Very easy to make, and so delicious. I wish I grew peppers in my own yard, so that I could make this more often without the expense or pesticide worry.

The second recipe, Black Bean and Quinoa Salad


This salad had a bit of a mexican feel, due to the added cumin and cilantro. But I think you could leave those out and add basil, or other seasonings to change it up. We served it with some ground chicken burgers that I added some cumin, garlic, red onion and cilantro to as well. Topped off with a big slice of avocado, and some homemade garlic pepper mayo, this was a nice dish for a hot night.

These little grains are interesting in that they start out as tiny little balls, but as they cook, the outer ring breaks away a bit, and leaves this cute little pearl looking grain. The center is translucent and soft, while the tiny rim is a bit crunchy and white.

If you're interested in the recipes, please email me or post a comment and I'll send them to you. Quinoa is a fun and wholesome grain to enliven any summer dish...and hey, you can even impress your friends and family by being able to pronounce it!

Thinking outside the cow

As you know, I have eliminated dairy (among other things). I am at 9 days and counting!!

I am happy to say that I have found a substitute for pretty much everything that I used to love diary-wise.


Ice cream=Rice Dream
Milk=Rice milk
Cheese=Rice cheese slices
Butter=Earth Balance


But, since most sour cream alternatives are soy based, a no no for my thyroid, my beloved sour cream had eluded me....until Friday night.


I decided to tempt fate and have a Mexican dinner on Friday. My former self would have said, "May I please have some taco and beef for my sour cream and cheese pile?" But, my new self, made a heaping portion of freshly made guacamole with tons of fresh cilantro, garlic, onions and a little lemon and lime juice, and lot of chopped lettuce, with my favorite Dave's Artichoke Salsa and organic corn taco shells, and bit of organic ground beef.


Out of curiosity I mixed some of my homemade mayo with a little bit of coconut milk and fresh lemon juice, and are you sitting? I created sour cream. A non dairy, non soy sour cream.


It was a bit on the runny side, but once it was on the taco, it blended so well with the rest of the ingredients that you didn't even care. The tacos were so fresh and tasty, I think I'll make Friday nights Mexican night at the Smiths from now on!

Sorry I don't have actual measurements for the Non dairy sour cream recipe, but when I figure it out, I'll post it.

The cutest squash in the world

The bad news is that I love food. I love cooking food and eating food and reading about food and talking about food and watching shows about food...you get the idea.

Some people have an interesting palate with a need to eat the most bizarre of foods. I like to consider myself adventurous, but unlike some people I know, I have no desire to eat chicken feet.


The good news is that I really like all food, which is not limited to junk food. Vegetables are a main staple in our house and I enjoy cooking with them.

For proof, check out this freakishly adorable baby squash I picked up at the Fresh Market. They are baby zucchini and baby yellow squash which they call Sunburst Squash, or Patty Pan Squash.

I wasn't quite sure what to do with them when I bought them, but I decided at the last minute to chunk some leeks with the squash, and some chopped garlic, and then marinated them in some oils (I used avocado, walnut and olive for this), garlic powder, pepper, and a dash of Herbs de Provence.

I grilled them in the pan shown instead of foil wrapping them, because I wanted them to have that grilled taste, and the charred look, instead of being mostly steamed.

I think I made the right choice because these babies were awesomely delish.

Of course I paired them with my other two favorite healthy meal options, burgers and fries. I used actual organic beef, instead of the usual ground turkey, and mixed in some garlic, pepper, salt and onion. On my burger I put red onion and avocado, with a touch of homemade mayo, and the bread is a wonderful millet flax that I get at the co-op.


And these fries have become a much requested staple in our house. I've discovered that russet potatoes make the best fries and I just toss them in avocado oil, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Bake at 425 for about 15 -20 minutes depending on the thickness of the potatoes. (I always salt vegetables after they are cooked, if necessary, so as not to draw out too much moisture.)

Even though I've been hyping up the squash, I'm about to anticlimactically announce that the best part of the dinner was the french fry dip.


Seriously, you have got to try this. I take mayo, and blend in just a touch of avocado oil, paprika, pepper and garlic powder (the same stuff found in the french fries themselves) and dip the fries into it. Say goodbye to ketchup, because this will be your main staple on fry day.


Healthy eating!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I love to bake, and cheesecakes have become one of my favorite ways of impressing people with my "skills." Cheesecakes are notorious for how difficult they are to perfect, so they have been a nice challenge for me.

My favorite cheesecake is the White Chocolate Raspberry, and quickly became so after having my first bite of one at The Cheesecake Factory in Chicago. It was delicious, but at over $40 for a whole cheesecake, I'm glad I learned how to make my own!

The recipe I started with got very high reviews on AllRecipes.com, but I have tweaked it a little, and added some white chocolate mousse swirls on top to more closely match the Cheesecake Factory look.

The process for this recipe specificially is very labor intensive and has several stages.

The Top left bowl is the cheesecake batter, the top right bowl is a ganache made with white chocolate and heavy cream that is folded into the cheesecake batter. The bottom left bowl is the pulverized oreos that I use for the crust (I don't think graham crackers would do it justice) and finally, but most importantly, the bottom right bowl contains the red raspberry sauce that gives this cheesecake it's flavor.

Once all four steps are done, the cheesecake comes together fairly quickly.

After you put the oreos in the pan, pour half the cheesecake batter, and then drizzle with raspberry sauce.

After the raspberry layer is done, finish pouring the rest of the batter, and pour more raspberry sauce on top. You can get creative on this step, and I've seen some really cute designs done, but I like to just swirl a knife around like crazy with no rhyme or reason. It mostly gets covered up in the end anyway.

After baking for almost 70 minutes, the cheesecake should cool (I prefer letting it cool completely in the oven after it is turned off. You get less cracks that way. And it usually gives a much more creamy texture too. Once it has cooled, and just before serving, I like to pipe the white chocolate mousse on top. You can shave white chocolate too, which would be very tasty, but not necessary.

And here is what a piece looks like once the cheesecake has been cut.

Here is the full recipe, I hope you enjoy!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

3 cups of finely crushed oreos (use the whole cookie, and pulse in food processor)
2 T. Sugar
½ cup butter, melted

1 pkg frozen raspberries (10 oz)
5 T. white sugar, more or less to taste
2 t. corn starch
½ c. water.

2 cups white chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream, (get a pint though, you’ll use the rest for the mousse topping)

3 (8 oz) pkgs. of cream cheese, softened
½ cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla

1 box instant pudding (I like white chocolate or cheesecake flavor)


Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, sugar and the melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” spring form pan. Tip: I add melted butter into crumb/sugar mixture just until it sticks together. You may use less than ½ cup.

2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

3. Fill shallow glass pan with water and place in oven, on lowest rack. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and ½ cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 T. raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 T raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.

5. Cover the bottom of pan with aluminum foil to prevent dripping from the butter and oreo cookie filling. Bake for 55 or 60 minutes (or until set, I bake mine for about 70 minutes). Cool, cover with plastic wrap being sure to press wrap onto surface of cheesecake to prevent condensation drips, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce. I prefer room temperature, but that's a personal preference.

6. Once cheesecake is ready to serve, whip remaining heavy cream with ½ package of instant pudding and 2 T sugar until stiff, but not firm. Pipe mixture using a pastry bag onto cheesecake in desired design.

Mayonnaise recipe and meal of the day

I just had a great candida safe lunch.

I made homemade Mayonnaise (recipe follows) as well as some sauteed squash, turkey burgers and homemade french fries.

The french fries were just thinly sliced potatoes, tossed in a little bit of avocado oil and seasoned with pepper, paprika and garlic powder. (don't salt them until after they are done baking. Salt tends to bring water out of veggies) I baked them on 425 for about 15 minutes, turning them half way.

I put my own mayo on the burger and used a special candida safe bread made with millet and flax. The boys loved the food too, which is a bonus.

My mayo recipe is as follows:

Put the following 3 items into a blender or food processor:

2 eggs
2 T of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or less depending on your taste buds)
1 t Sea Salt

Blend all this until combined, and slowly pour in 1 cup of a good Safflower Oil (important that it's not any other kind of oil, unless you want to use avocado or walnut, or grape seed, but just not olive oil because of the weird taste, and not canola or vegetable for various other reasons)

Pour this oil in a slow stream through the top of the blender/processor until it's all incorporated.

This mixture will look just like regular store bought mayo, and once it has been in the refrigerator for a few hours will set up just like real mayo too. (keep in mind that this will only last a few weeks in the refrigerator. Make 1/2 of a batch if you don't think you'll use it in that amount of time.)

The best part is that it tastes great and cleans off your plate very easily. If you notice...regular mayo takes a bit of work to get off your plate with just water. Makes you wonder what it's doing to your arteries.

Good luck, and let me know what you think of it!